We can accomplish this as a church by our participation in the Liturgy of the Hours. Saint Paul tells us: “Pray without ceasing” (1Thes 5:17). …The Laity, too, are encouraged to recite the divine office, either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually” (CCC 1175). In it Christ himself continues his priestly work through his Church.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “The Liturgy of the Hours is intended to become the prayer of the whole People of God.
I also wanted others to experience and appreciate this too. I even knew that this had become a part of my life. The more I grasped the Liturgy of the Hours the more I appreciated it. I am certain that kind act helped to show the value of this community prayer. During Morning Prayer I got lost on the wrong page and was immediately helped by one of my brothers and finished it by following him in his prayer book. One Saturday early on in my formation, I was sitting next to one of the men who had been in formation for several years. Over time we learned about the structure and importance of the prayers we said each day.Įarly on in my formation, I also learned from the example of the men in classes ahead of me. Depending on when our class was, we would either pray Morning Prayer or Evening Prayer together. Initially the Liturgy of the Hours appeared to be challenging. They are not five literal hours, but five different times throughout our day, from morning to night, when we take a few moments to sanctify and make holy our day. This prayer consists of five “hours” of prayer. Also known as the Divine Office, the Liturgy of the Hours is the church’s daily prayer. During formation we consistently prayed the Liturgy of the Hours. Morning prayer includes the “Benedictus” (the prayer recited by John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah) evening prayer includes the “Magnificat” (which Mary recited when she visited her cousin Elizabeth) and night prayer includes the “Nunc Dimittis” (Simeon’s prayer at the presentation of Jesus at the Temple).I have the privilege of writing this article because of the grace God gave me to answer the call to a vocation in the Permanent Diaconate for the Diocese of Camden. Three prayers in the Liturgy of the Hours are taken from the infancy narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.
Celebrating morning prayer and evening prayer has become a common parish practice. While usually considered the obligatory prayer of clergy and those in monastic orders, the revised Liturgy of the Hours is meant to be prayed by all people. These prayer times are about three hours apart: Lauds (3am), Prime (6am), Terce (9am), Sext (noon), None (3pm), Vespers (evening), Compline (before going to bed), and Matins (Midnight).Īfter Vatican II, the Divine Office was updated and simplified, and became know as the Liturgy of the Hours. Traditionally, there are seven hours of prayer in the day and a night prayer. By the seventh century, this daily prayer became know as the Divine Office. The custom of reciting prayers at certain hours goes back to a Jewish practice that was continued and developed by Christians in the Church’s early centuries.
#DIVINE OFFICE PRAYER FULL#
The Church has a full year’s cycle of daily prayer – the Liturgy of the Hours.
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